沉 chén — submerge; immerse; sink; deep; profound; to lower
石头一下子沉到了水底。Shí tou yí xià zi chén dào le shuǐ dǐ.The stone sank to the bottom of the water at once.
Common words: 沉默 (chén mò)、沉重 (chén zhòng)、沉思 (chén sī)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "immerse"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "immerse", including 沉 (chén), 浸 (jìn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "immerse" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 沉 (chén), 浸 (jìn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chén, jìn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 沉 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 沉 chénsubmerge; immerse; sink; deep; profound; to lowerUseful words: 沉默, 沉重
- 浸 jìnimmerse; soak; steepUseful words: 浸泡, 沉浸
Common words for these 2 "immerse" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 沉 (chén) — so "immerse" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
沉默chén mòtaciturn; uncommunicative; silent沉重chén zhòngheavy; hard; serious; critical沉思chén sīto contemplate; to ponder; contemplation; meditation浸泡jìn pàoto steep; to soak; to immerse沉浸chén jìnto soak; to permeate; to immerse浸种jìn zhǒngto soak seeds (in water to hasten germination, or in a chemical solution to prevent damage from insects etc)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "immerse".
浸 jìn — immerse; soak; steep
把黄豆放在水里浸一晚上，第二天会变软。Bǎ huáng dòu fàng zài shuǐ lǐ jìn yì wǎn shàng, dì èr tiān huì biàn ruǎn.Soak the soybeans in water overnight, and they will soften the next day.
Common words: 浸泡 (jìn pào)、沉浸 (chén jìn)、浸种 (jìn zhǒng)
All 2 characters
Open 沉、浸 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.